Looking to join a society at LSE? Look no further than this guide to help you decide. It’s well known amongst LSE students that there are tons of societies to choose from, so it can be overwhelming when it comes to selecting which ones you want to be a member of and which societies you wish to join the committee of.
First, I’ll go over why you may want to join a society, then I’ll highlight the different types of memberships available for students. Let’s get started!
Why join a society?
Student societies serve to enrich yourself and the people around you, no matter which society you join. You may wish to join a society for numerous reasons, like meeting new or similar people, developing your skills and trying new things.
The best part is, there are lots of societies to choose from at LSE, even ones you think might not exist!
Academic-related societies
Interested in furthering your knowledge in an academic field, such as history or law? Whether or not you study the subject, these societies are great ways to meet like-minded people who are interested in a given subject and hold events surrounding the subject. They are also a good way for you to learn more about a subject.
If you wish to learn more about family law, for example, you can join the Family Law Society, or you can join the Debate Society if you are interested in debating all kinds of topics, whether it be political, academic, social issues or more.
Hobby/sports-related societies
Love bowling? Poker? Gaming? Hiking? Pets? Cooking? Football?
There is a society for almost every hobby and sport at LSE. These societies are great ways to meet people who have the same hobby as you, and maybe for you to learn more about your hobby. If you want to join a society to purely socialise, then these societies are perfect for you.
If you wish to engage in tournaments, like with sports societies, you can even pay a higher amount to join a sports society’s club and participate in matches against other London universities.
Give-it-a-go (GIAG)
If you are not yet sure if a society you have in mind is right for you or not after Freshers Week, go on the lsesu.com website and find the society you are interested in, and without paying a single penny, get yourself a GIAG membership.
GIAG memberships are quite self-explanatory. Upon receiving a GIAG membership, you essentially get a free pass to one of the societies events, in which you can join the event free of charge and see what the society is all about before committing.
Standard membership
Joining a society as a standard member is what you should do ideally if you know you want to join a society you like. Since you have to pay money to get standard memberships (ranging from £1.50 to £20 and beyond), you may wish to consider if you genuinely want to commit to the society you have in mind.
Standard memberships give you access to all of the society’s events and group chats so that you can chat to students who are also in the society and so you can stay in the know about upcoming events. This is the way to go if you just want to participate in a society’s events without getting involved with committee work.
Committee Memberships
To become a committee member of society, whether it be the President or Secretary position, you will need to be aware of when the elections begin, when nominations open and when both of these stages close. These take place yearly, so if you don’t get elected one year, you can always try next year.
When you elect yourself to be a society member, it is best to include a photo of yourself and a manifesto to explain why you should fulfil the position you are after. This way, when students vote for committee members, you can have a better shot at collecting votes and securing the role for yourself.
As a head committee member, in general, you will be closely involved with operating, managing and advertising the society and its events. Different societies specify different tasks for each individual committee role, so it is best to follow the society you have an interest in via social media.
The advantage with committee memberships is that, especially to employers, you can show that you genuinely got involved with your university and took on a head role at a given society, while balancing your studies and other commitments. You can showcase authentic responsibility skills to employers as a result.
Sub-committee Memberships
If you wish to have more say with a society and get involved with decision-making and hosting events, or even use your creative prowess to design social media posts, you can be a sub-committee member for a society of your choice. These are done separately from the main committee elections and tend to be done externally. Most societies elect sub-committee members by releasing a form that students can complete before the deadline, and the main committee of the society will come together to make their decisions.
It is a great way to socialise, develop your skills, further your knowledge and experience in a given field and showcase good teamwork or leadership skills. Sub-committee members also tend to have less demanding tasks, so you can work for a society and have more flexibility.
Societies are there for students to come together to socialise and engage in various activities. They are great ways for you to learn new things and develop your skills. Once you have a society in mind that you are interested in, take a look at their social media pages and see if it is right for you. Have fun!
